Top tips for the three best Thomson Lakes & Mountains holidays – and save £60 per booking

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Bardolino on the south eastern shore of Lake Garda, Veneto, Italy
This resort offers a stunning promenade along the lake front where you can take a stroll to the neighbouring resorts of Garda and Lazise. The town comes alive in the evenings and at the weekends where the bars, cafes and ice cream parlours are a good place to meet up and watch the world go by. The town gives its name to the well known wine: Bardolino Red and Rose Chiaretto.

Top tips
• Wine lovers you have picked your holiday perfectly. Stick to the local wines like Bardolino, Lugana and Valpolicella.
• Cristallo’s, located on the lake front is a famous Ice cream parlour in Bardolino. They have an array of different flavours of ice cream on offer in various shapes and sizes. Our favourite is the Spaghetti Ice : vanilla ice cream with whipped cream topped with strawberry sauce and shavings of white chocolate.
• The typical aperitivo drink is the Spritz Aperol. Aperol originated in the Italian City of Padova and it is mandarin based liquor and when mixed with prosecco and sparkling water topped off with a slice of orange makes a really refreshing drink.

A week’s half board at the four-star Hotel Caesius Thermae Spa costs from £878 per person (based on two sharing) including flights from Gatwick to Verona and transfers (departure September 2014). Direct flights from all major UK airports available at a supplement. www.thomsonlakes.co.uk

Kitzbühel in the Austrian Tirol
Situated right in the heart of the Kitzbüheler Alps, this resort is a favourite holiday destination for the rich and famous. There’s plenty of evidence of its history with cobbled streets, churches and medieval pastel coloured houses, as well as trendy hotels and glitzy designer shops. Soak up the sun or just relaxing next to or bathing in the crystal clear waters of Lake Schwarzsee. Golfers also have three 18-hole courses and a 9-hole course to choose from locally or 30 more courses in the surrounding area.

Top tips
• Guided tour of the Alpine Flower Garden, a fragrant walk through Kitzbühel’s bucolic landscape; discover the beneficial qualities and practical applications of special alpine herbs.
• A visit to Berchtesgaden famous for the Eagle’s Nest with its awe inspiring views and intriguing history.
• Skittle night. The lanes are a bit wonky, the balls aren’t quite round. A team game with the focus on entertainment and a healthy dose of competition thrown in for good measure.

A week’s half board at the four-star Hotel Jägerwirt costs from £510 per person (based on two sharing) including flights from Gatwick to Innsbruck and transfers (departure September 2014). Direct flights from all major UK airports available at a supplement. www.thomsonlakes.co.uk

Lake Bled, Slovenia
Set against a stunning mountain backdrop and surrounded by verdant forests, Bled is an enchanting oasis. Its crystal blue lake and fairytale castle create an atmosphere of true wonder.

Top tips
• Hire a rowing boat or a ‘Pletna’ boat to visit Bled Island with its chapel.
• Postojna Caves are the largest cave system in Slovenia. A narrow-gauge train carries you through enchanting rooms and caverns to get you to the most spectacular part of the cave best visited on foot.
• Lake Bohinj and nearby. Several scenes from Disney’s Chronicles of Narnia film Prince Caspian were shot by the Soča.

A week’s half board at the four-star Hotel Park costs from £625 per person (based on two sharing) including flights from Gatwick to Salzburg and transfers (departure September 2014). Direct flights from all major UK airports available at a supplement. www.thomsonlakes.co.uk

Save £60 per booking on all holidays departing during summer 2014. Book by 23 April 2014.